Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-21

rank of Major General, being then but
thirty mine years of age, rare case in
bureaucratic Russia. In 1873 followed
his promotion to brigadiership in the
Imperial Guard, and in 1876 ne was made
commander of division in the same elite
corps.
Al the outbreak of the Turkish war in
1877, he was sent to lead the advance
guard of the Russian army of the Dar uoe
He pushed on so rapidly to Tirnova July
= and over the Balkans to the TundJa
valley, within two days march of Adrian
ople, as to make him famous. The COM
parative slowness, however, of the army
following in his wake made his efforts
and those of his men bootless. He had
to retreat before large corps Of Turks
ander Suleiman Pasha's command,
and took stand in the wild Shipka
pass, which ne occupied and held until
the news of his appointment as Ad-
iutant- General and the order to return to
St Petersburg and mobilize his guard
corps division reached him. A few days
eufficed him for the task, and in October
we see him again IN the midst
of the fray and gwen supreme
command over large corps of cavalry,
which was to prevent Osman Pasha
from cutting through and continuing
breaking the chain of investment around
Plevna He defeated, while employed
in this task, Turkish army corps under
Shefket Pasha, sent to relieve OSman at
Gornii Dubpjak on October 81, 1877, and
on October rs took fetish. After Plevna
had surrendered Gourkho was made com
msnder of large corps of infantry, and
with them he crossed, under the most try
ing circumstances and through binding
snowstorms and avalanches, the Balkans,
arriving on January 4, 1878, at Sofia
Then ne hurried on to Philippopolis and
dispersed the army of Suleimsn Pasha,
which had, it is true, already badly sui
fered in the engagements around the
Shipka Pass, accomplishing the task on
January l6 and II. In Adrianople he
finally Joined the Russian main army
within esrshot of Constant nope
After the war he was made Gen
eral of cavalry and Adjutant-General OF
the Emperor's chief general staff. On
April IA, 1879, the Emperor appointed
him aforementioned of st. Petersburg
and invested him as such with the mos
extraordinary and far-reachiDg powers
This was done Immediately after Solo
vieff's unsuccessful attempt to asssssinatt
Alexander IL; and to pick out Gourkhc
under such circumstances for post
which gave the sovereign's life virtually
into his hands showed the entire conf
dence the Car had in the man. At this
! juncture Dame Fortune, who had hitherto
constantly smiled on our hero, played hin
vile trick. Gourkho at once declared
q state of siege in the capital, and took
{ the utmost precautions against NihilistiC
conspirators. But, despite all he could
do, the latter made two more desperate
attempts on the Emperor's life during the
same winter. Gourkho was dismissed
from his high position, all his titles snc
dlgnities taken away from him, and he
instead, sent into Punishment. 1t was due
to a softening impulse of the Autocrst
his master, that the exile at the las
moment was given the mild form OF police
surveillance on his own estates in the
/ interior Of the vast land. There he staid
! morose and sullen, and no man has seer
the Gourkho of former days again. HI
has not been known to smile since. HI
had the dresry satisfaction, however, O.